3.25.2009

A bank robber in Connecticut got off to a good start, but made a few mistakes in the "getaway" department.

Police say David Maksimik, 59, used a fake grenade and a gun to steal $3,745 from a bank in a shopping center in Darien. While fleeing the scene, he rear-ended another car at a stop sign. His crunched car limped along for a while, then Maksimik ditched it. He took a bus, then a taxi, then called his sister to give him a ride the rest of the way home.

When he got there, he found his 53-year-old roommate unconscious on the floor. He called 911. The police confirmed that the roommate was dead -- an apparent suicide -- but they got suspicious of Maksimik.

They found the bank robbery loot in a binocular bag in plain sight on Maksimik's bed. Maksimik then allegedly confessed everything. He's on trial now.

Extra points: He's no newbie. Maksimik previously was convicted in a 1991 bank robbery, and was released from prison in 1997.